A few weeks back, the bold announcement was made. Our tiny hero, Scott Lang, is hitting the screens again in "Ant-Man & the Wasp", a new addition to our Marvel Cinematic Universe Phase Three Line-Up displacing the highly-anticipated "Black Panther" and "Captain Marvel". Following in the footsteps of "Avengers: Infinity War Part I", what do we need to make sure that Ant-Man and the Wasp rise above the epic showdown between the Avengers and Thanos like they did with "Avengers: Age of Ultron"? Take look as I present what I want to see in "Ant-Man & the Wasp".
Side-by-Side: Tales to Astonish
My favorite superhero partnership is finally getting the justice that it deserves. Glimpsing the adventures of a younger Hank Pym and his wife Janet Van Dyne in the first "Ant-Man" was thrilling and rewarding but with Janet missing from the action in the present day moments of the film and Hope not getting a costume until the very end, the anticipation I have for seeing the two minute Avengers side-by-side is overwhelming! I can't wait to see Scott and Hope teaming up to take down bad guys or Scott on his trusty flying ant while Hope flitters through behind him, blasting away. Their relationship is going to be an important part of the film as we all know that they are destined to be together. Seeing the emotional payout from them working together on a high stakes mission while balancing their attempts at a relationship is sure to generate a number of great scenes. And let's face it, this is an opportunity that Marvel can't miss out on again.
When the Avengers line-up was first announced, everyone assumed that Hawkeye and Black Widow would have a romantic relationship as they have had in the past. The reveal that Clint has an actual family in a remote mountain town of sorts puts those dreams to rest for the archer and the spy. With Scott and Hope, we finally have the chance to see the Marvel Cinematic Universe's first superhero couple. The potential is limitless. A family dinner with Cassie is sure to be a delight and could add some layers to Scott's ex-wife, Maggie, if she decides to show a little jealousy which she properly translates into another opportunity to turn Scott away when he wants to see his daughter.
Besides the inevitable focus on Scott and Hope, I do hope that this film dives more into the past history of Hank and Janet prior to her being "killed". I'd love an opportunity to see the original Ant-Man and the Wasp going up against terrorist organizations in the past trying to ensure world security without anyone knowing who they are or where they come from. We know that there is a great deal more to Pym's story and getting a glimpse in to the personality of Janet will make her return, if it happens, all the more rewarding when we finally get to see her with Hope and an elder Hank Pym. At the moment, their isn't much emotional investment on behalf of the audience in the character of Janet so any such reunion is going to seem forced. Interconnecting the Scott and Hope's story with Hank and Janet's allows us to compare and contrast, get to know the motivations more and the reasoning for why they do what they do. What legacy are they living up to and what pains are they trying to escape from? Past and present missions and mysteries are, in my opinion, pivotal to making "Ant-Man & the Wasp" a tale to astonish. But how do we get an integral part of the past back and should she come back?
The Microverse: The Return of the Winsome Wasp
As far as we know, Janet Van Dyne was left stranded in the Quantum Realm when she pushed her size changing abilities to the limit. Believed by Pym to be lost forever, his thoughts quickly change when Lang is capable of returning from the Quantum Realm. Now we have to assume that Pym is going to spend a great number of resources to find his wife. Is he capable of doing so? Has she aged at all in the Quantum Realm? What has she seen in this so-called Microverse and how does that change her? Fans may remember that once upon a time, Janet Van Dyne was thought dead in the comics after being turned in to a bomb and Thor teleporting her away. In reality, she was just transported to the Microverse where she was eventually rescued and helped the inhabitants of the Microverse stop a tyrant.
The likelihood of something like this playing out in the MCU is slim as I believe that the parallel dimensions and alternate realities are going to be explored more in “Dr. Strange” where such other-worldiness is more suitable and could potentially lead to an after-credits scene where an already established Stephen Strange appears to Hank Pym and reveals that he has found Janet leaving the door open for another potential sequel where we finally see Janet fighting side-by-side in the present day whether that is as a costumed hero or a benefactor to a new team of superheroes possibly leading a potential Avengers Academy of sorts in the future.
Villains: A Returning Menace & New Threats
Despite being a huge Ant-Man fan, I admit, he doesn't have the greatest rogues gallery out of his fellow team mates on the Avengers. Ultron, who in the comics was created by Pym, was given a completely new origin story to fit within "Avengers: Age of Ultron." I also am not a fan of rehashing villians with sinister motives but powers, abilities and tech similar to heroes as was the case with Darren Cross, who is arguably one of the most prolific, who appeared in the first film as a corrupted version of Yellowjacket. Another problem that besets this sequel is the fact that Scott Lang doesn't have many recognizable villians of his own as he's mostly dealt with villians and rogues that are more familiar to other heroes. But, there are ways around this problem.
Before the release of Ant-Man, I was expecting no other than Elihas Starr better known as Egghead to be the villain of the film but I was also expecting Hank Pym to be the titular hero. With those expectations crushed, I do still believe that Egghead would be a great villain to include in our sequel as a former colleague of Hank Pym who orchestrates a plan to steal Pym Particles to give to his employer.
Egghead isn't working alone though as he's contracted Jacques Duquesne, the Swordsman, to assist him in tracking down Pym. When the Ant-Family discovers that someone is attempting to find them and steal their stuff, the tables are turned as they arent' the ones committing a heist but defending against it. Of course, something has to get taken though and they have to retrieve it. That is where my proposal for the main antagonist of the films surfaces, as the mysterious employer and benefactor of Egghead and the Swordsman, Monica Rappaccini, who is the leader of a newly risen A.I.M.! Monica plans on incorporating the Pym Particles in her organization's experiments alongside bio-mechanical implants and a newly revamped Extremis on human soldiers to sell these modified drones to the highest bidder in an attempt to turn the tide in world security and amass a fortune while doing so. I want A.I.M. to be done right in this film and not some botched rendition of A.I.M. a la Iron-Man 3. A group of highly intellectual and ruthless individuals who are force to be reckoned with.
I imagine some pretty stunning and spectacular set pieces if we have to see our heroes reclaim something that was stolen, a heist on a larger scale as they have to get through all of the security on A.I.M. island: robots, turrets, heat-seeking missiles and more. Maybe even get old Pym in on the action too! But all of this leads up to something that I think can only be done in an Ant-Man film: M.O.D.O.K.! Yes, the big-headed maniac himself can only be achieved and not looked at as ridiculous in an Ant-Man film. When Rappaccini's is forced to put her experiments on the fast-track to avoid the Ant-Family, she is forced to subject the unassuming George Tarleton, a lowly A.I.M. scientist, to Pym Particles and Extremis causing massive deformities and making M.O.D.O.K. the final antagonist for Lang to face while Wasp deals with Rappaccini.
Super Sized!
A common element of the Ant-Man mythos is the inevitable growth into the hero known as Giant-Man. At some point, expect to see a large costumed hero getting in on the fight but where and who this will be is up for debate. Naturally, many believed that Lang would assume a giant form in “Ant-Man” as a final blow to Yellowjacket. Giant-Man in the first outing would have been a great sight but it is one of those moments, like the classic battle cry Avengers Assemble, that we may have to wait for. It's a moment that is going to cause excitement and joy throughout Marvel fans! Despite appearing in “Captain America: Civil War” next year, I think that is a highly unlikely place for Lang to go big. The film is already jammed packed with a number of supporting characters and heroes that stand out action sequences I'm sure run the gamut.
Of course, the best place is in the sequel! And I think the best person to do the deed is Pym himself. If Pym gets involved in the fight, you know that he's going to have a hard time keeping up. He's older and he's been out of the field for some time. Finding himself at a disadvantage when the stakes are high, is the perfect opportunity for him to turn in to Giant-Man and stomp on some baddies! Now, I'm not saying that anyone in the Marvel Cinematic Universe should ever take on the moniker of Giant-Man but I think a quick reference to Pym having gone “giant” in the past with Janet to take down a Hydra base would be fair and explain that he was supposed to be a secret spy so and turning in to Giant-Man would draw a certain amount of attention. A setback that won't apply when the Avengers face Thanos in “Avengers: Infinity War Part One & Two”, giving Lang the full disclosure to get tall and take down whatever cannon fodder aliens or beings Thanos throws at the team. I'm betting that some people want a full-fledged Giant-Man at some point, but my fingers are not crossed for someone to actually become Giant-Man but going super-sized is almost a guarantee in “Ant-Man & the Wasp”!
More Bugs! More Hugs!
You can't have Ant-Man without ants! And we got a lot of ants in the first film so I'm expecting even more in the sequel! But I mean why keep ourselves limited to ants? Ant-Man's helmet is capable of communicating with insects other than ants and I think it would be satisfying to see Lang and Pym controlling a wide variety of insects to a number of effects. Centipedes! Spiders! Beetles! Praying Mantises! If the heroes storm a tropic A.I.M. Island as I described above, they would have a number of naturally present insects at their command to help take the group down. And let's get a little creative, why we are at it! Wouldn't it be cool to see those tiny little bugs go giant-sized to take down enemies? How about a praying mantis locked in battle with the Swordsman or Beetles charging through windows? Or how about we just keep it classic and have ants marching to form words on walls to alert Lang's good friends that he needs some help?
Lang has billions of insects that he can call his friends but when it comes to humans, his three closest probably won't be far behind in the sequel offering up their services if Lang needs some help. Now, no details have been confirmed but it would be a treat to see Dave, Kurt and Luis return in the sequel. Unlike other Marvel Cinematic Universe characters who are placed solely for comedic purposes, the three respectable crooks brought a sense of realism to the film that I haven't seen yet in a MCU film and I'd love to see them return along with Lang's wife, Maggie, the loveable Paxton and of course, Cassie, who by this point will be a bit older and maybe looking up to her dad's superheroic ways!
West Coast Avengers Assemble?
It's become a common trend in MCU films that characters cross over in films even if just for comedic purposes. Captain America in “Thor: The Dark World”, Black Widow in “Iron Man 2” and any number of characters in the infamous mid-credits scenes. It goes without question that just like the first film had a surprise Falcon cameo, this film will have one as well but who would it be and what would be the point? We already know that after “Avengers: Age of Ultron”, the Avengers have a new base of operations and a newly shuffled team consisting of Captain America, Black Widow, the Vision, War Machine, Falcon & the Scarlet Witch. All of this could change though after “Civil War” and we are not sure what is going to happen after that film but if it's anything like “The Winter Soldier” expect some massive changes even if those changes really only seem to effect “Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.” as was the case with the HYDRA infiltration.
The options are limitless but I think it would be interesting if the cameo was restricted to only characters who were on the West Coast Avengers team! Hawkeye, War Machine or Scarlet Witch but Vision would be the one I put my money on. Vision standing next to Pym and Lang would make my day even if the connections are not the same as in the comics. It is quite possible that to deal with whatever threat they are facing, they seek out Vision possibly at an Avengers headquarters to assist them in their mission. I imagine it's not hard to conceive of a scenario where the Swordsman and his goons break in to Pym's house and damage all of his tech causing them to seek out assistance elsewhere. Just seeing Pym admire the Vision's form is enough to make me happy as that is, in essence, his grandson within the classic 616 continuity.
And thus we meet the end of all my wild fantasies for “Ant-Man & the Wasp”, the film I am most excited for out of all the upcoming additions to the incredible Marvel Cinematic Universe. Sound off below! Do you have any ideas you'd like to thrown in or some good old fashioned criticism? I'm all ears!